January 23, 2013
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Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
In the Bible, it tells us to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (This post was inspired by this article: Link)
Now if you think about it, we are probably selfish. We spend money on ourselves. Most of us blog about ourselves. Most of us make sure our own needs are taken care of before others.Do you love anyone more than you love yourself?
Comments (51)
My Rick and my kids.
Does this logic mean if I’m suicidal I can murder people? I hope so.
I think most Republicans would scorn the phrase if they thought Obama the author. ”Care for others? What Socialistic crap!”
At this point in my life, my mother.
I am not sure it means people love themselves more if they take care of their needs first. That is survival. But there are people I love enough so I would put myself in danger to save them. Same with my dog.
@ItsWhatEyeKnow - Caring for others is a must for most conservatives I know–but charity ceases to be charity when it is forcibly taken from you.
I love my whole family, but I feel a special tenderness for my dad and younger sisters and husband. I might love them more than I love myself.
I believe most parents love their children more than themselves but not to take anything away from those parents, children are a direct extension of their parents. As for neighbors which in my opinion means everyone else especially in these global times, I don’t think it’s a matter of loving anyone *more* than oneself and the biblical statement doesn’t say *more*. It says *as* and that is significant. I think I have treated many as I treat myself. I’ve made sacrifices in time and money for others but that is for them to say, not me. Some have. The one undeniable verification for me came via a mother. At her daughter’s funeral the mother came up to me flanked by her two sons, took my hand in both of hers, kissed my hand and said “I and my family are eternally grateful for everything you did for my daughter”. Those are words I will never forget and if what I did to evoke those words was the only thing I did with my life, my life was worth living.
my cat but she passed. it’s every man for himself…or herself.
I think I love others more, and that is the issue I am facing right now
My Mother. Lova ya Mom!
@ItsWhatEyeKnow - congratulations on most hateful, judgmental comment so far.. and attitudes like this are why i can never in good conscience support the man; just look at how his followers treat people.
The christian way to love is putting others first before you and i’m still learning to love in this aspect, humanly speaking, in and out of myself, i’m just a really selfish person in need of god’s kindness, grace and mercy.
Oh I’d love the chance to love my neighbor, especially the way I love myself. Mmmhmm, she is FIT!
..wait what?
i love my parents more than i love myself, yes.
I am so distressed by all the political posts I see from my conservative Christian family and friends lately. I honestly don’t think they understand how hateful they are coming across. The Gospel is summed up in the commands to love God and love your neighbor. Jesus told a population under the thumb of the Roman Empire to pray for those in authority. Meanwhile, many of my Christian friends and family rage about their “right” to own assault weapons, threaten revolution and secession, and direct venom and malice at the government. Nobody is going to see those posts and think that Christianity is something good and desirable. The conservative Christian church in America is becoming “Westboro-ized” because of their insistence on mixing the pure message of the Gospel with politics instead of simply loving God, loving their neighbor and praying for the leaders of our country.
To answer your question, yes. I love my husband, my daughter, my mother, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, my cousins, aunts and uncles and friends more than myself. It’s not a source of pride, it’s how I was taught to be by loving parents and old-fashioned, politics-free, love-filled churches.
As someone with fairly low self esteem, I say yes. Also I am hard on myself and much nicer to others.
Yes, I love so many people more than I love myself.
I’m honestly sure it’s safe to say that I love my Fiancee’ more than anyone in the world. She’s the reason for my smile in the morning and my calm sleep at night. I love her more than anything and anyone in this world.
I have basically no love for anyone. Including myself.
Well, there is my dog. I guess I should say I have no love for humans.
I love others as I love myself. It’s in all the Scriptures.
my guns
Does this mean I have to jerk my neighbor off every night before bed too?
@TheGiantSlayer - what issue you are facing??/ would you like to share???
You.
My mom and dad. They’re so freaken’ incredible.
I am selfish. There are times when I eat out, and after passing someone on the street my conscience kicks me. I could have bought something cheap to eat and have more to give. I want to give more, and yet I don’t have enough to give.
When still a child Jesus would give His meal away and go to bed hungry if it meant someone else was fed. I want to be more like that. Such a struggle to love others on that level.
My neighbor is very hard to love. Seriously, I love many people more than myself!
never really been tested but once my scottie dog Lucy fell in a neighbor’s pool(knocked in by their dog running past her) I went into action and dove in with my clothes on and got her. Well, it was in the deep end.
How come few of your blog entries are inspired by other Xanga users?
my daughter, my father, and a select few other family and friends. while I know on some level that happiness shouldn’t depend on others, their happiness, safety and security contributes to my happiness :) I guess putting it that way makes it sound self centered anyway, but it is what it is
HELLO
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I love when you do philosophical posts that make you think instead of pointless boobie posts. As to the question, no, I don’t love anyone more than myself. I need a lot of work.
I think the more important question is, should we Christians be using that idea as an excuse to ignore this very important, foundational commandment?
@ShimmerBodyCream - I think it does.
If I am honest, I only really love my son. No one else, including myself matters.
@ItsWhatEyeKnow - It’s sort of funny how true it is. Some ideas that repubs proposed in the time of Bush were hailed among themselves as brilliant and insightful. When Obama does it he’s a socialist traitor that deserves to be impeached. Repubs sure are good at seeing red, zing!
my neighbor would be dead.
It also can be said this way. TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED. So if you want to be treated bad,, be bad to others.
So if you love yourself you will treat people nice, and you will be treating your friends lovingly. So when you see them have a need if you can try too help. Bro.Doc
That bible verse does not include Muslims. All Muslims must die the bible tells me so………Jesus want’s us to attack Iran.
to me what the statement has come to mean is… a few things. I cannot love others if I cannot love mysekf. I cannot be compassionate with others if I cannot be compassionate with myself. Many, many people I’ve come across in my life seem to struggle with self-love and self-support. Ultimately, for those who are spiritual or believe in a higher power, loving oneself (in the way I mean) is the same as loving G-d. Whatever your word may be for that energy. Because I find access to Spirit within mySelf and I believe everyone can if they want to. It is also said, Seek and you shall find.
So if we love ourSelves, not only can we love others. We probably WANT to love others. it probably comes naturally.
When i say love I don’t mean in a narcissistic way. I mean in a deeply supportive, open-hearted, parental, Beloved, divine way.
So as we love our neighbors, so we love ourselves.
We tend to be most hard on others about what we are also most hard on ourselves about.
When a person is particularly harsh or judgmental toward another, I have compassion for them, because they likely also treat themselves that way, within, on their own time.
If I can love my neighbor as myself, I know my heart is in its best place.
Interesting that you can quote “love your neighbor as you love yourself” and a very few sentences later remember it as “love someone else more than you love yourself.” I bet you weren’t even aware of the inconsistent indoctrination you displayed there.
@iones_island - “his followers” = the strong majority of Americans! Giddy up!
I def love my kids and hub more than myself – other than that I’m not sure. I don’t know how much I love myself – though I am starting to get better at it and respect m yself enough to not allow toxic people to bring me down! I do apparently help others out quite a bit – but it’s not for any praise or purpose other than just to ease someone elses suffering!
More people will be asked for healthcare insurance. The people who step up to paying for health care insurance will generate a group of covered medical insurance people,
I wonder how many bosses will figure it is better not to have health insurance for their employees? They definitely made the decision to not cover their valued employee.
We find that some disasters are too big to cover, where is the love for the neighbors who are hit by national disasters?
Definitely the tight fisted folks are going to not pay in much just so that emergencies and health care will fail. It is tough, that people say they care for neighbors and do other things that contradict what they say.
joyislam I love my husband, my daughter, my mother, my siblings, my nieces and nephews, my cousins, aunts and uncles and friends more than myself. It’s not a source of pride, it’s how I was taught to be by loving parents and old-fashioned, politics-free, love-filled churches.
I love my parents more than I love anyone else in the world! They’re amazing and I thank God for such a wonderful family! – great blog really thought provoking!:)
Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others above yourselves.”
Been going to this one since getting left high and dry by our mother’s helper.
But I am realizing how greedy I really am… no bueno.
@storageracks - appreciate the sentiment
The question should be “How do you define Love?” I define love as being actively engaged in helping a person develop all that it means to be human.” This goes for my love of spouse, children, neighbor, people in my society, and even my enemy and also myself.
My mom.
can’t love others if you don’t love yourself. i love myself more. i hate other people.